Architect Kengo Kuma recently updated his website with a new structure in Oota City of Gunma Prefecture. The Kanayama Community Center, which opened last summer, offers classes and counseling guidance to residents and will also house a museum.

One of the earmarks of the structure is the unique façade, which was modeled after the stone wall that protected Kanayama Castle – a landmark site of the region – from numerous invasions during the 1570s and 1580s. The large entrance helps neutralize the protectionist feel projected by the walls. The geometric pattern is also reminiscent of family crests such as the Mitsuuroko, the crest of the Hojo Clan, who actually took ownership of the castle in the late 1500s.

The large entrance helps neutralize the protectionist feel projected by the walls.